waterfalls

Falling from a height of 1,115ft the Nohkalikai falls have the tallest plunge in india. Located near cherrapunji, one of the wettest places on earth, the Nohkalikai falls are the biggest tourist attraction of Meghalaya.

But the name Nohkalikai carried by the waterfalls has a horror legend. The story goes something like this.. in a village called Rangjyrteh which is located above the mighty water falls, lived a women named Likai. Ka Likai (the prefix of Ka identifies the feminine gender) husband was a porter who made his livelihood carrying loads of iron and Sylhet. He died on one of his trips ka Likai with their baby to take care. With no source of income ka Likai herself took up the porter job, like many other women who were ferrying iron Rangjyrteh mawmluh village leaving her baby in the care of others.

Other women who used to work with her persuaded her that she should find another man, as the child needs a father too. On the insist of her women co-workers she found herself a man and married him. Poor ka Likai didn’t know what a man he was, her new husband was envious of the attention ka Likai showed to towards her baby girl and resented the baby. One fine day when ka Likai had to do her routine of carrying the iron, her husband took a chance of this situation killing the baby girl and chopping her into pieces and cooking the flesh. He cleverly threw the head and bones but in hurry forgot the finger’s in kwai basket.

When ka Likai came home tired from work, she was hungry. She presumed that her baby must be with her husband or some neighbour. Acute pangs of hunger and inviting smell of the curry led her to satiate her hunger, before going in search of her child. She anyhow thought that the child must be safe and sound with someone till then. The meat was tasty, but she was clueless as of what meat it was. The preparation her husband made was delicious indeed. As usual after her meal she took kwai basket to help herself to a kwai. Alas !! She found the severed fingers of a child.

The horror which she had just relished dawned on her, realising that she had eaten her own Beloved child. Ka Likai became furious with anger and desperation. She then ran outside screaming in dismay, brandishing a wait on anyone who tried stopping her. She ran and ran untill she reached the edge of the waterfalls leaps off the precipice and threw herself over the edge.

The term Noh means jump. Hence the the water fall got its named Noh-ka-likai . It is a heart-rending story isn’t it ?